Pokemon: The Prince of Aura
by cicidaweezil
Summary: It's Ash's fifteenth birthday and all of his friends are showing up to his surprise party, courtesy of Iris and Cilan. But when a Raichu bounds into the midst of a reunion with his father, he has no idea that he's beginning another quest to save the world.
1. Chapter 1

"Can I take off the blind-fold now?" Ash asked, confused that he had to wear one at all. Cilan and Iris had forced him onto a plane and had refused to tell him where they were going. They had tied a blind-fold over his eyes an hour before they'd landed.

"Hold on a few more seconds." Iris said, a little irritably, since he had been asking the same thing about once every hour.

"Believe it or not, we're almost there!" Cilan said, as joyfully as ever.

Ash heard them open a door and felt himself being pulled through it. He heard the door shut, and then the blind-fold was taken off. Ash stood there for a moment.

Wherever he was, it was completely dark. He couldn't see his hand outstretched in front of him.

"Where are we?" was all he said.

Suddenly, the light was swtiched on and Ash barely had time to recognize the room before a mass of people jumped out from behind furniture and doors. Some actually appeared from behind. Apparently, they had decided to stand flat against the wall. They were all shouting the same thing.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASH!"

Ash was shocked. He was in his own home- all the way back in Pallet Town!

Around him he saw what had to be all his friends-Dawn, Misty, Brock, May and Max were behind the sofa. They walked around to the front and took their seats on it. Ash was surprised it could hold so many people. Max held up a pokedex and Ash realized he was a Pokemon Trainer.

Behind the kitchen bar were Casey, Drew, Ritchie, Todd Snap, and Barry. They took seats on the stools as well. There were several trays of food on the counter they put their backs to.

To his left, a group that had been hiding under a sheet consisted of Rebecca, Sid, Rafe and Rafe's younger twin sisters, Audrey and Kathryn, along with Tory Lund, all of whom Ash had met in LaRousse City. Tory held up his own pokedex, signifying, that he too was a trainer, like Max.

To his left stood a much older Molly Hale, who had pokeballs strapped to her waist. He father, Professor Hale, as well as Tory's father, Professor Lund, stood behind her.

Looking back at the door, he saw Cress and Chili behind Cilan, and Bianca looking antsy next to them.

Professor Oak was in front of the staircase, with Professors Birch and Rowan. Caroline, Dawn's mother, and Norman and Johanna, Max and May's parents stood next to them. Also with them, in front of a window, were Gary and Jack "Jackie" Walker, a Pokemon Ranger.

Ash also noticed Tracey Sketchit, Nando, Reggie, Soledad, Roark and several others he didn't recognize.

But he forgot about everyone when he saw someone standing quietly next to his mother. He wore thin, round glasses and a brown shirt and black pants. He smiled at Ash with the air of someone immensely proud.

Ash ran straight up to his father and hugged him, and everyone parted ways to let him through.

"I can't believe you're here!" Ash said when they broke apart.

"I wasn't going to miss a chance to see you." Alexander Ketchum smiled down at his son. "You've grown into a fine young man, Ash."

They were interrupted by an impatient "ahem!". Ash looked at his mother, who had both hands on her hips.

"Ash Ketchum, don't you ignore your mother!"

"Sorry, Mom." And he hugged her too. Delia immediately lost her attitude and hugged her baby back.

"Don't worry about it, Sweetheart."

Ash turned back to everyone else. "I can't believe all of you are here either!"

"Well, we could always leave if it's too unbelievable." Gary said.

Everyone laughed.

"So, who are you guys?" Gary asked, turning to the group Ash hadn't recognized before.

The group consisted of three teenaged girls, a younger boy and an older boy, who looked Brock's age.

The older boy answered. "I'm Ray, and these are my younger sisters, Bambi and Moira." He motioned to the orange-haired girl and the blond-haired girl. "And this is Moira's friend, Jazz, and Jazz's younger brother, AJ." He motioned to the third girl and the younger boy.

"They're friends...of Alexis." Mr. Ketchum said.

"Alexis is here?!" Of all the events that had occurred today, this was the most shocking, but only a few knew why.

"Somewhere." Alexander said, looking out the window, as if hoping the person named Alexis would suddenly appear there. "A few of his friends came, too." He looked at Reggie and Roark.

"You know my brother?" Ash asked, turning to the two.

"Your brother?" Roark seemed surprised, but Reggie wasn't.

Everyone else was repeating the words.

"Yeah...Alexis is my brother." Ash said.

"Why haven't you ever mentioned him?" Misty asked, a little annoyed.

"Why didn't you ever mention your sisters? And the fact that you were the Cerulean Gym Leader?" Ash threw back at her.

"Oh...yeah…"

"May can't talk either. You didn't tell tell Ash about me, either." Max said.

"Okay, so no one mentions their siblings. That's all I'm getting from this." Gary said.

"Including you. Did anyone but me know about your sister?" Ash said.

Gary thought for a moment. "No...I guess not."

"You have a sister?" Brock seemed a little excited. "Is she pretty?"

"Yes and I guess...Her name is Diane." Gary said. "But she's not in town right now."

Everyone laughed as Brock slumped back on the couch in despair.

"Why don't you cool it with the girl-crazy act for today?" Dawn said.

"NEVER!" Brock was about to continue with a passionate monologue about women, but he was interrupted by a Raichu, who jumped onto his head and straight at Ash.

Pikachu had no time to react as the Raichu grabbed Ash's hat off his head and ran out the front door.

"HEY!" Ash yelled, running after it. "That's my hat!"


	2. Chapter 2

Ash tried to keep with the Raichu, but it was far too fast. Unlike Lt. Surge's Raichu, this one must have been trained in speed before evolving.

The Raichu sped into the woods, and Ash followed, but he soon gave up. He stopped next to a tree to catch his breath. He looked at the Raichu, and was surprised to find that it had stopped and was watching him.

"PIKA!"

Ash looked behind him and saw Pikachu running to catch up with him. Sparkie, Ritchie's Pikachu, was close behind.

Further back, nearly everyone else was coming, too.

Ash looked back at the Raichu, which had a rather impatient look about it. The two Pikachu's ran up to it, but the Raichu started running again, still holding onto Ash's hat.

"Aw…come on…" Ash growned, but he started running again, and this time the rest of the group wasn't as far behind.

They followed the Raichu to the other side of the forest (which wasn't that big as it was only a small, thin part of a much bigger forest surrounding Pallet Town and Oak's Lab.)

The Raichu stopped abruptly, and waited for everyone else. Many of them gasped in surprise at the view. Beyond a high cliff, the ocean spread for miles. It was blue as far as the eye can see.

A few feet from the edge of the cliff, someone was laying on the ground, his eyes closed. He looked asleep.

Riley stepped forward and put a finger to his lips, and everyone else kept quiet. Riley closed his eyes, concentrating his aura.

Ash was staring at the man on the ground, having forgotten about his hat.

Suddenly, the Raichu burst towards the person. Stopping next to him, it placed the hat on his chest.

The person slowly lifted an arm to pick up the hat by its bill.

"Who did you take this from, Raichu?" The person said. His voice was quiet and calm. "Was it one of them?" Moving slowly still, he sat up and turned towards the group that had arrived. "Nice try, Riley. You were a bit late."

Riley looked as though he had failed at something, though the others didn't know what.

Moira stepped forward, "That hat belongs to your brother." She motioned towards Ash, who was standing very still.

Alexis Ketchum stood up and faced the crowd. Dawn and May blushed at his appearance. He had dark hair and eyes and sharp features. His shirt and pants were black with a dark red belt. His pants were covered by knee-high dark red boots. He wore a long dark red coat over his outfit, and dark red goggles on his head.

Alexis looked at the hat in his hands and then at his brother. He smiled, and in several quick strides he was in front of his brother and putting the hat back on his head. "Long time no see."

"Yeah." Ash replied. He glanced at Riley. "What was Riley trying to do?"

"He tried to hide your presence from me." Alexis replied. "But I noticed you coming before you entered the forest. You're not that hard to miss."

"Wait, does that mean…" May began. "You can use the aura?"

"Of course. It runs in the family." Alexis looked at his brother. "I heard about what you did in the Tree of Life."

"You did? How?" Ash asked.

"Professor Oak." Was all Alexis said. He turned away from the group, and then looked back at Ash. "Happy Birthday."

"Alexis, what were you doing out here?" Mr. Ketchum asked him. "Did you forget about the party?"

"No." Alexis looked out at the sea. "I remembered. I had things to do."

"RAI! RAICHU!" Everyone looked down at the Raichu, who was pulling on Alexis' hand.

"I know. I see it."

"See what?" Ash asked. The others were wondering also.

"I'll tell you when we get home. Let's go." Alexis looked at his dad, who nodded his understanding.

With that, Alexis cut through the crowd, moving swiftly back towards the Ketchum home.

"Wait for us!" Ash shouted as he ran to catch up to his brother. His friends followed.

Alexis did not answer any questions from the group, and neither did his father. They both seemed to want to get home as quickly as possible.

Finally, they were home. For Ash and the others, it had seemed a much longer time getting back than it had chasing the Raichu. Then again, they had been running.

Delia Ketchum was waiting outside.

"Alexis Ketchum! Just what were you doing that you missed your brother's surprise party!? Do you know how long it's been since you've seen each other?!" Delia was not a woman to trifle with. She kept her boys in line.

"Sorry, Mom. I lost track of time." Alexis told her.

Everyone knew he was lying. He had told his father the exact opposite.

"Then get a watch!" Delia was not pacified.

"Darling, can we talk about this later?" Mr. Ketchum stepped in. "There's something much more important that we need to discuss."

"What's going on?" Professor Oak and his colleagues had appeared behind Mrs. Ketchum.

"Let's all get inside." Mr. Ketchum said, striding up the steps and into the house.


	3. Chapter 3

Everyone gathered in the living room. The oldest were given seats on the sofa and dining chairs. Everybody else had to fend for themselves. Some managed to find cushions. Alexis stood leaning against the wall.

"So, what is it you want to say, Alex?" Professor Oak addressed Mr. Ketchum.

Mr. Ketchum was staring at the door, and did not hear him.

Everyone followed his gaze. Suddenly, the door knob began to turn.

"What's that?" Dawn asked, nervous.

The door opened to reveal a Lucario.

"Ah, you're back." Riley said. The Lucario walked up to Riley and it looked as though they were communicating.

Mr. Ketchum stood. "What is it saying, Riley?"

"This is bad news." Riley said.

"What is it?" Mr. Ketchum pressed him for more information.

"He knows." Alexis told him.

"Knows what?" Brock asked. Most of the room had no idea what was going on.

"Should we start from the beginning?" Mr. Ketchum looked around the room.

"The beginning of what?" AJ, who everyone had forgotten about, suddenly spoke.

His sister, Jazz, put a palm to her face, and said, "Can't you just be quiet and listen for once in your life?"

AJ slumped back against the wall, and pouted.

"Some of you are already familiar with the power of Aura. Am I right?" Mr. Ketchum asked.

"Of course. Ash and Riley use it." May said.

"And so did Sir Aaron! And his Lucario." Max piped.

"Yes. That's true. Ash and Alexis are both Aura Users. Riley and his Lucario are training to become Aura Guardians." Mr. Ketchum nodded his approval. "For those who don't know, the Aura is the essence of all living things. Some beings have the ability to see and manipulate the Aura."

"Oh! I get it!" Todd Snap said. "It's like psychic powers, right? Does that mean Sabrina is an Aura User?"

"No." Alexis said. "Sabrina uses Telekinesis. The Aura and Telekinesis are different. Telekinesis was an attempt in ancient times to mimic the power of the Aura. They are related, but only slightly."

"How can you tell the difference?" Misty asked, remembering Sabrina suddenly. She shivered.

"Telekinesis," Riley replied, "Is the power of the mind. It is controlled solely by your mind. Your own Aura gives you the ability, but you aren't actually manipulating your Aura, or anyone elses. Nor can you see the Aura of other people. Also, you can't sense things around you the way Aura Users can."

"What about teleportation?" Brock asked. "How do they do that?"

"A good question." Alexis answered again. "Teleportation is the ability to move from one place to another in an instant. Only fully realized telekinetics can use it. It's greatest flaw is it can only take you short distances. It is a parallel of an Aura Users ability to Warp."

"What's Warping?" Max asked, eager to know more about the Aura.

"That's a question we will answer, but not yet." Mr. Ketchum said. "First, we need to give everyone a little history lesson." He turned to Alexis. "Would you get the book?"

Alexis went upstairs, and returned with an ancient, jeweled encrusted book. He handed it to his father, and returned to his place on the wall.

"This book has been passed down from generation to generation for millennia." Mr. Ketchum said. "It contains the full history of the People of the Aura, and their descendants." He opened the book. "Only those who can use the Aura are able to read it. And even then, the Aura User must have a pure heart. Thus, outsiders cannot learn the secrets of the ancient kingdom."


	4. Chapter 4

*******************_Note: Chapters 3 and 4 were meant to be one chapter but it ended up to long so I split if the transition from chapter 3 to chapter 4 is not very good. After all, it is technically one chapter._********************

"Who are the People of the Aura?" May asked.

"I was getting to that. The People of the Aura were a great and powerful race. However, they were also benevolent. They spread goodness throughout the world. They thrived on love. Everyone in the kingdom had some ability with the Aura. The most powerful became Aura Guardians. Their job was to protect the kingdom and it's royal family, for even in the benevolent world they had created, there were still evil forces trying to take control of their power." Mr. Ketchum paused for a moment. "The People of the Aura feared what would happen if their power came into the wrong hands. It was the most powerful race on the Earth, and it did not want to be used for evil ends. The Aura Guardians, however, kept the evil at bay, and the world saw a thousand-year peace. Then, the day came that the peace was broken. The world was shocked, for it was not one kingdom attacking another. The People of the Aura was collapsing from within."

"How?" Gary asked.

"There was a feud within the royal family. You see, even the People of the Aura had myths and legends, and their greatest belief was in the power of opposites. The power of two. I'm sure you are all aware of what that is. Anyways, their greatest taboo was twins." Rafe's younger sisters looked a little annoyed when he said this. "Twins came in twos, of course, and the People of the Aura believed that twins would be opposites. In other words, one would be evil, and the other would be good. And so it happened, that the last King and Queen had two sons. Twins. The kingdom, of course, normally dealt with twins by killing the second born." There was an intake of breath among the girls in the room. "It was one of the darker facts of the People of the Aura. The King and Queen, however, did not want their son to be killed. So they ordered he was not to be touched. Their subjects feared this decision unwise at first, but eventually softened up, as the two boys grew older.

"They both seemed as benevolent as their Guardians, and just as gifted in the Aura, as well. They were equal in strength and power. The People of the Aura continued on in peaceful existence. Then, there came the day when the King fell ill, and he had to choose his successor. He wished to follow the old tradition of the eldest inheriting the throne. He told this to his wife, and the younger son heard it. He was jealous. He didn't think it was fair. He and his brother were equal in everything. Except age. His brother was a few minutes older than him. This, he thought, was irrelevant to anything. It gave his brother nothing over him, except, it seemed, the crown.

"The younger brother was filled with rage, and he began to hatch a plan. He was going to kill his brother, and then he would be the only heir to the throne." Mr. Ketchum stopped for a moment, and stared down at the book. He continued. "That night, he snuck into his brother's room, and tried to suffocate him. However, the elder brother was a light sleeper and he managed to break free. He asked him brother why he was doing this, and the younger told him what he had heard. The elder said he never would have taken the crown for himself. The two brothers were equal in everything, and the elder wanted them to have equal power over the kingdom as well. They would rule together.

"But it was too late. The younger brother was filled with hatred, and didn't believe a word he said. He challenged his brother to a dual, something that was never practiced in their kingdom, as the People of the Aura did not believe in fighting. The elder refused to fight his brother, enraging the younger brother even more. He spat at the elder, and fled the kingdom. The King died the next day from sadness, and his wife passed only a few days later, sadness filling her heart at the loss of her husband and son. She passed on the crown to her elder son, who began searching for his brother."

"Did he find him?" Professor Birch asked after Mr. Ketchum paused for a very long time.

"No. The younger brother came back. He returned to the borders of the kingdom with an army. The army greatly outnumbered the Aura Guardians, who were not trained in fighting, and the kingdom fell. The elder brother and wife and children fled, as did the survivors of the massacre. The rest of the world fell to fighting as well. Some kingdoms wanted to help the People of the Aura, while others turned against it, and joined sides with the younger brother. However, in the midst of the chaos, the army following the younger brother broke apart. Unable to find and kill his brother, the younger went into hiding as well, biding his time, and always searching."

"So what happened then?" Max asked, like a child waiting to hear an old fairytale from his grandfather.

"He never found him. Both brothers died without seeing each other ever again. However, the hatred of the younger brother was passed down throughout the ages, and to this day, his descendants search for the elder's descendants."

"And what about the kingdom?" Gary asked. "I've been researching ancient lore and I've never heard of the kingdom."

"That's because the Aura Guardians who were loyal to the royal family locked it away. They say the elder son's hiding place was very close to it, and his descendants still live there today. However, the location of the kingdom is long forgotten." Mr. Ketchum said. "You haven't heard of it because no one remembers it. No one but the descendants of the elder son and the Aura Guardians, of course."

"Even the descendants of the traitorous prince don't know where it is." Riley added.

"But doesn't that book say it? What if they got ahold of it?" Max asked, half-panicking.

"They couldn't read it anyways. Only the pure of heart can read it." Alexis said.

"How did you find that book?" May asked.

"It's been passed down through the generations of the royal family." Alexis replied.

"So you know who the royal family is?" Ash asked, bewildered.

Alexis smiled, bemused. "Ash, we _are_ the royal family."


	5. Chapter 5

"What?" Ash thought he wasn't hearing right.

"We, the Ketchums, are the royal family." Alexis repeated. "We are the descendants of the older brother."

"So…" Gary reasoned. "That makes Ash a prince?"

"Wow! That's so cool!" Max exclaimed.

"Then Mr. Ketchum is the king?" May realized. "And Mrs. Ketchum is the Queen!"

"Yes. That is true." Alexis said. "But we musn't waste time. There is still more history to tell."

With that, Mr. Ketchum-or King Alexander- cleared his throat. "The People of the Aura did not end when their kingdom fell. They never truly disappeared. Many of you have probably heard of Aura Guardians in history, Sir Aaron especially." Some of the listeners nodded. "Well, the People of the Aura scattered across the world, some forming their own kingdoms and tribes, and others, like Sir Aaron's ancestors, joined other kingdoms." Mr. Ketchum turned to Gary. "Believe it or not, everyone has heard of the People of the Aura in some form or another. They've just never been able to pinpoint their origin. You see, great numbers of the People of the Aura became the People of the Sea."

"Really?" May interrupted, remembering Manaphy and the Temple of the Sea. No doubt the others who had shared in the adventure, Ash, Jackie, Max and Brock, were all thinking the same thing.

"Yes, the People of the Sea were direct descendants of the People of the Aura. Not just them, either." Mr. Ketchum looked at Professor Hale. "And those Unown letters you discovered, as well as their Pokemon counterparts, they were the language of the People of the Aura. While most of their descendants stopped using that language, one group did not. Their name is no longer known, but they left behind shrines, such as the Ruins of Alph."

"That was them? Descendants of the People of the Aura?" Professor Hale was shocked. He'd been certain he would never find out who had built those ruins.

"And the Sinjoh ruins were not made by two groups of people, but by one group that eventually split into two. The Sinjoh ruins was the last shrine built by the Nameless tribe, as we call them, before it split into two groups. One of those groups stayed in the Johto region, while the other made its way to the Sinnoh region. The Tanoby ruins and the Solaceon ruins are also relics of the Nameless tribe. If you notice, they are also filled with the Unown.

"Although we don't know it's original name, when it split into two groups, they became known as the People of Time and the People of Space. They were so named this because of their connection with Arceus, and their worship of Dialga and Palkia, whom they saw as Gods. Eventually, both of these tribes fell to extinction. The Aura Guardians have never even found descendants of these people, until quite recently."

"Who are they?" May asked.

"We'll get to that. So, the People of the Sea, Time and Space were all descendants of the People of the aura." Mr. Ketchum continued. "There was also the Shamouti Tribe. I'm sure many, many of you have heard of them." A unanimous nod circled the room. "Well, they are the only descendants of the People of the Aura that still live as a group. The others were either destroyed or split." He paused for a moment, and studied some of the faces in the room. He stopped at Moira for a strangely long period of time. "There were many other groups as well, but none as powerful and long-lasting as those I've just mentioned, and one other group that I haven't mentioned."

"Who?" Max was still eager to learn more.

"Actually, they were not one group, but many. They were the Mountain Tribes, and that name encompasses all of the tribes that lived in the mountains around the world, and descended from the People of the Aura. That was where their similarities ended. Over time, all of these tribes formed their own practices and beliefs. Some tribes were larger than others, and one such tribe lived in Mt. Moon. They befriended the Clefairy and Clefable there, and worshipped the moon. Because of their affiliation with the Clefairy, this tribe became known as the Fairy People."

There were giggles around the room.

"You may be laughing at that name now, but in their time they were one of the most powerful tribes in the Kanto region." Mr. Ketchum said. "Somehow, they were able to project their Aura differently than others. They called their new power the Moon Aura. They felt it was the moon that gave them their special power. Today, we believe it was their constant contact with Moon Stones, combined with their original Aura powers that evolved it into the Moon Aura." He paused and looked back at May and Max. "They say that the People of the Sea also had a special Aura. It was believed to be influenced by their contact with Manaphy."

"So, the People of the Sea were friends with Manaphy, and the Fairy People were friends with Clefairy?" Max asked.

"Yes, that's exactly right, Max." Mr. Ketchum said. "The People of the Aura always had, and to this day still have, partner Pokemon. Before the fall of the Kingdom of Aura, its people had befriended the Pokemon Mew. The lives of Mew and the People of the Aura became intertwined, and with the fall of the kingdom, the number of Mew in the world dwindled as well. So the survivors of the People of the Aura turned to other Pokemon. The Fairy People found Clefairy and the People of the Sea found Manaphy. Another Mountain Tribe befriended Pikachu, and they formed another special Aura called Lightning Aura. When the Fairy People began to dwindle, Clefairy became less friendly to humans. To this day, the Clefairy of Mt. Moon are loyal only to the Fairy People."

"Wow. So are there any Fairy People around today?" Max asked.

"Yes. The Aura Guardians have discovered descendants from all of the powerful tribes and kingdoms. For example, you and your sister, May, are descended from the People of the Sea." Riley said.

"I knew it! This is awesome!" Max punched the air above his head. May smiled, glad that she shared a connection with Manaphy.

"So, why are you telling all of us this?" Gary asked. "What do we have to do with anything? I doubt you go around telling random people all the secrets of the Aura."

He had a good point, and everyone looked at Mr. Ketchum for an explanation.

"I am telling you this, because quite a few of the people here are descendants of the People of the Aura." Mr. Ketchum said.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Everyone stared at Mr. Ketchum for a moment. How could any of them be descended from the People of the Aura?

"I can see the disbelief in your faces, but trust me. Think about it. You already knew that Norman and his family were descendants of the People of the Sea." He motioned to May, Max, and their parents. "You just need to understand that they are not the only ones."

"But none of us can use the Aura!" Tracey pointed out.

"It's not your ability to use Aura that tells us anything. It's the color of your Aura. Even if you've never used the Aura in your life, you still have it." Mr. Ketchum said. "Would you like me to tell you who the descendants are?"

They all nodded swiftly.

"Alright." Mr. Ketchum looked around the room. "We'll start with me. My sons and I are direct descendants of the Elder Prince of Aura." Everyone looked at Alexis and Ash. "Then there is Norman's family. He and his two children are direct descendants of the People of the Sea." Everyone nodded. Some of them had suspected that for quite a while. "And Moira and her siblings are direct descendants of the Mountain Tribe that had befriended Pikachu. Moira is the only one of her siblings who can use the Lightning Aura." Heads turned towards the blonde girl, who sat on the floor near Alexis. "Ray and Bambi have not been able to use their Aura." Ray was standing in the corner near the staircase, and Bambi sat next to him.

"Of course, you already know about Riley. But you probably didn't know his ancestor was Sir Aaron." Mr. Ketchum continued. "As I mentioned before, the Aura Guardians have recently discovered descendants of the Nameless Tribe. Those people…" He paused for the longest moment and looked at Molly and her father. "…are the Hales." Molly's eyes widened in complete shock. "Why do you think the Unown took interest in you and your father? They recognized your Auras as those of the Nameless Tribe."

It all made sense, but for some reason everyone had trouble believing it. Moira seemed to have already known about her ancestry, and May and Max were simply happy that they had been right. Alexis was still leaning against the wall, eyes closed and still as a statue. Ash looked dumbfounded. It would take him awhile before he could absorb all the information his father was giving.

"So is there anyone else?" Gary asked. He wondered vaguely if he, too, was descended from the People of the Aura.

"As far as we have figured out, no one else here is descended from the People of the Aura." Mr. Ketchum said.

"Wait a second!" Max exclaimed. "You said that the royal family still lived near the hidden Kingdom of Aura!"

"Yes, Pallet Town is within walking distance." Alexis told him without moving or opening his eyes.

"Actually, Pallet Town is named after the last king of the kingdom. His name was Palet (pronounced pah-lei). He was the father of the twins." Riley explained.

"Wow! Can we go see it?" Tory, AJ and Max all looked really excited.

"No." The three boys faces fell at Alexis' answer. "If we open the ancient gates that protect the kingdom, the descendants of the younger brother will know."

"Who are the descendants?" Ash asked, finally able to think again.

"His name is Zane, and his followers include Jin and Grey." Alexis still did not move. "Jin seems like an idiot, but he's very strong. Grey is a master of offensive Aura, something considered blasphemy amongst Aura Users."

"Why?" May asked.

"The People of the Aura believed in peace and love. To use the Aura for destruction and fighting is the exact opposite of their intent. Those who use it in such a way are said to have fallen to darkness." Alexis finally opened his eyes, and looked directly at May. "Their hearts and minds are twisted." He added quietly.

"Unfortunately," Riley said. "Zane and his followers have found what their ancestors have searched for for millennia. The royal family."

"What's going to happen then?" Ash asked.

"Zane is going to try to destroy us." Alexis said calmly. "Especially me. He has a personal vendetta against me."

"Which is?" Ash pressed for more.

"Don't worry about it." Alexis closed his eyes again.

"After he destroys us, whom he considers the only threat to him, he is going to take what he thinks is rightfully his – the kingdom. And he might actually take over the world, also." Mr. Ketchum told them.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Gary asked.

"We have to defeat Zane before he defeats us." Mr. Ketchum pushed his glasses back up his nose. "First we need to gather the Aura Guardians, and find better shelter."

He looked at his house. It didn't possess any sort of protection at all.

"But there's more to it than that. You know that Zane wants to be ready before he comes after us. He will be collecting everything first, so he can open the gates." Alexis added. Yet again, he look like a statue talking.

"But Zane can't open the gates." Moira said. "We don't have to worry about that."

"No, but if he goes through with his plan, the entire kingdom will be destroyed, along with all of Kanto." Alexis said.

"So we have to beat him and collect everything first?" Moira asked.

"Excuse me," Professor Hale interrupted. "Just what are we going to collect?"

At that moment, Alexis jolted from his stance. He stared in the direction of the door, seeing something no one else could see. "We need to get out of here."


	7. Chapter 7

Alexis took a step towards the door. "This place isn't safe anymore."

"How many Aura Users do we need to transport all these people?" Riley asked. He started counting. "Ash can use Aura but he's not trained. That leaves us with me, you, Mr. Ketchum, Moira, and Lucario."

"Moira can't use Warp." Alexis said, not taking his eyes away from the door.

"Then that leaves four of us." Riley said. "That's not enough." He looked anxious, trying to figure out how they were going to warp everyone with four Aura Users. "And Lucario and I are still in training."

"How are we going to get out of here?" Gary asked.

"Give me a minute." Alexis said. They all looked at him. His right arm was stretched out in front, fingers curled as though he were holding something. His placed his left palm against his right, and suddenly his eyes began to glow violet.

"What's happening?" Ash asked.

There was a flash of light. They saw Alexis, eyes still glowing, and now he was holding a white staff. At the top of the staff perched a violet orb. It matched his eyes.

"The Staff of Light!" Riley stared at the relic. "It's said to be the most powerful Aura staff in the world."

"Aura staff?" Ash asked, suddenly remembering something. "Then Sir Aaron had an Aura staff!"

"That's right. It was the Staff of Earth." Riley told him.

"Zane is almost here." Alexis said, but his voice was showed no signs of worry. It seemed as though he were in a state of Nirvana. He moved to the center of the room, and held the staff vertically, with the orb above his head.

The space around his arm began to glow pure white, and suddenly, a Mew appeared, wrapped around his arm. Everyone gasped. The Mew unwrapped from his arm and floated down to eye level. Alexis lowered his staff, and the bottom end tapped the floor. "Let us retreat, Mew. We have a heavy load." His eyes were still glowing violet. Mew nodded and it's eyes also began to glow.

There was an even greater flash of light, and then total darkness.

"Where are we?" Misty's voice cut through the air.

"In an ancient temple." The room lit up. Alexis stood in the center of the room. He still held the staff and Mew was next to him. His eyes, however, were black as ebony again.

"You just warped us…" Riley said. "By yourself!"

"Yes." Alexis spoke nonchalantly. He turned back to Mew. "Thank you for your help, my friend."

"AAAAH!" A shout startled the group. It was Professor Oak. "The other Pokemon! We left them defenseless at the lab!"

"The Pokemon are fine. They are here as well, under strong protection." Alexis motioned to a long passageway. "You can see them later. For now, please follow me."

"Wait." Riley looked around. "Are we in the sacred Guardian temple?"

"Yes." Alexis stepped past him and down the hallway.

"Alexander." Mr. Ketchum looked at Norman, who was addressing him.

"Yes?"

"Your son isn't acting normal. Why is he like this?" Norman looked concerned.

Mr. Ketchum's gaze followed Alexis. "To tell you the truth, I think he's possessed."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"It's not what you may be thinking." Was all Mr. Ketchum told them. He followed after Alexis, who had turned towards them, waiting. Seeing that they were following, he began to walk again.

The others followed as well. On the way, Mr. Ketchum explained what he had meant by "possessed". Alexis took no notice of the conversation, but Mew seemed to be taking in every word. It sat on Alexis' shoulder, facing backwards.

"Possession takes place when an Aura User is under extreme stress. A new power awakens inside, and for an uncertain amount of time, the Aura User is able to think his way through the stressful situation." Mr. Ketchum explained.

"And you think that's what has happened to Alexis?" Norman concluded.

"It would seem so." Mr. Ketchum looked at the Mew on his son's shoulder. On the ground, the loyal Raichu followed his master. Mr. Ketchum then looked behind him at his other son. Pikachu sat on Ash's head, watching the Mew intently.

"How long will this go on?" Brock asked.

"I don't know." Mr. Ketchum looked back at Alexis. "But I have a bad feeling that this has put Alexis in great danger."

"Why?" Riley inquired. He had heard of possession before and they weren't known to place Aura Users in danger.

"When Alexis first began training," Mr. Ketchum said. "He displayed an incredible amount of potential and power. But he couldn't control it. It overwhelmed him and it could have killed it. His master, however, was able to seal away a most of that power, and left just the right amount that Alexis could control. As he grew stronger, his master released more of his power, and he became more skilled. However, not all of that power has been released. Alexis isn't used to having that much power and it could still overwhelm him. If this possession has caused the rest of his power to be released, then when he is back to normal…" Mr. Ketchum couldn't finish the sentence.

"What are we going to do?" Riley was now worried. He'd had no idea about the sealed power.

"We find his master." Mr. Ketchum said. "The man who taught him everything."

Alexis stopped. They were at the end of the tunnel.

"We are here."


	8. Chapter 8

Alexis stepped out of the tunnel and into a large, dimly lit chamber. Like the room they had been in before, it was covered in symbols and images. But unlike the other room, it wasn't empty. An altar stood on the opposite wall. To their left and right, tunnels led out of the chamber.

"Sara!" Riley stepped forward.

In front of the altar, staring into the flames of a torch, was a young woman with her back turned to them. "Hello, Riley." She said. She turned to them.

"Woooooow!" Brock walked up to her. "Excuse me, my name is Brock and I would be honored if you would go OUCH!" Max and Misty grabbed him by the ears and dragged him away.

"Not today, Brock." Max said.

"Uhh…what was that about?" The girl asked.

"Oh, don't worry about it." Misty said.

"So, who are you?" Ash asked, changing the subject.

The girl looked at Ash with bright green eyes. "My name is Sara."

"Sara is Alexis' girlfriend." Riley told them.

"Whaaaaat?!" Brock hung his head. "I never have any luck."

"Is he ok?" Sara asked.

"He'll be fine. He gets heartbreak about every other day." Max said.

Sara gave him an inquisitive look, but didn't say anything. Instead, she turned to Alexis. He stood still, holding the Staff of Light in his left hand. His eyes stared into the distance.

"Alexis?" Sara waved a hand in front of his face. He showed no sign of noticing. She looked at Mr. Ketchum. "What happened to him? Why is he acting like this?"

"Possession." Mr. Ketchum said.

Sara's jaw dropped. "But…How could you let that happen?" She looked at Alexis with fear in her eyes. He showed no emotion.

"I didn't know what had happened until it was too late." Mr. Ketchum looked at his son with concern, but didn't dare touch him. At the moment, Alexis wasn't really Alexis. He was a totally different person.

"Whoa!" A voice to their left startled them. "What are all these people doing here?" The owner of the voice stepped out of the tunnel and into the dim light. He was a young man, with brown hair and gray eyes. He walked up to Alexis and studied him. "Who turned Alexis into a statue?"

"He's possessed." Sara said.

"Wow, that's cool." He said.

"No, it's not! He could die."

The young man looked at Sara. "I've never heard of anyone dying from possession. It's just supposed to give you extra abilities for a certain period of time."

"These are different circumstances, Cody." Mr. Ketchum said.

"How so?" Cody asked, crossing his arms.

"Some of his power was sealed. He can't control all of it. Possession unlocks seals, and if Alexis' power is unsealed, then it could overwhelm and kill him." Mr. Ketchum explained quickly.

"I see." Cody looked back at Alexis. He didn't seem as concerned as everyone else.

"Where is Master Rau?" Alexis asked.

"Uhh…I'll go get him." Cody ran back down the hall he came from, and a few minutes later he returned with a thin, elderly man dressed in blue robes.

The man, obviously Master Rau, was tall and serious looking. He had sharp features and a long white beard. He walked in with the air of royalty.

Master Rau scanned the occupants in the room, his eyes lingering on those that Mr. Ketchum said were descendants of the People of the Aura.

"Alexis, what brings you here?" Master Rau asked when he laid eyes on the prince. "And with all these people as well?"

"Zane is on the move." Alexis said simply.

"Hmm." Master Rau took slow steps around the crowd. "An interesting bunch you are. Children of the Sea and Mountains are among you."

"How do you know that?" Brock asked, obviously over his heartbreak.

"I can see it." Master Rau said. "Your auras tell me."

"Wow, so you're a real master of the Aura?" Max asked.

"I am. And these are my pupils. " He motioned to Riley, Sara, Cody, and Alexis.

"You taught all of them?" Ash asked.

"Yes, and I would have taught you as well, had you chosen that path." Master Rau looked at Ash. "But you chose your own path."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ash felt guilty.

"Don't apologize. You have every right to choose your destiny. Your brother will be an Aura Master, and you," He reached out to pet Ash's Pikachu. "You will be a Pokemon Master."

"You think so?"

"If you are as stubborn as your brother, then you will surely reach your dream." Master Rau chuckled. "But I have much faith in you. You're a strong trainer, and you've formed strong bonds with your Pokemon."

"Thanks, Master Rau." Ash replied.

"You are very welcome." Master Rau smiled at him, and turned back to his pupils. "Now, we must end Alexis' possession so I can reseal his power. If we are not careful, he could die. It only takes one mistake."

Riley stepped forward. "Master, I have one question."

"Yes?"

"How are we going to end the possession?"


End file.
